April Newsletter 2011

Having two children has certainly made life even busier to say the least. I have to give a hand to single parents. How do you do it?? Without the help of my husband, I would be lost. Of course the activities we try to get Mr C involved in doesn't always help.

Mr C. decided he didn’t like Taekwondo class by the end, probably because it requires too much thinking and concentration. So, we decided to move on to T-Ball instead, which I think is a great sport involving lots of sensory integration. If you have a child with sensory issues that likes sports, I highly recommend getting them involved in this natural source of sensory integration.

Child-behavior-guide.com updates

Bonus Child Behavior Tip

Symptoms of Candida Overgrowth

You may have noticed above that I have a new page about Candida overgrowth. For those of you who are not aware of this condition, I think it is extremely important to note that the symptoms can include those that are similar to symptoms of autism or ADHD.

When the intestinal flora of an individual becomes imbalanced either due to frequent use of antibiotics (perhaps due to recurrent ear infections) or diets high in refined sugars/carbohydrates, there can be an overgrowth of Candida or yeast.

Overtime the yeast begins to damage the intestinal wall leading to ‘leaky gut’ syndrome. As a result of ‘leaky gut’ syndrome, partial proteins are able to enter the blood stream and lead to food sensitivities or an opiate effect on the brain for proteins associated with gluten and casein (see Autism causes page).

The yeast overgrowth and food sensitivities can cause inabilities to concentrate, brain fog, and spaciness. I think it is important to consider if you notice these things in your child that getting an evaluation by a doctor that knows how to diagnose and treat this condition is a good idea. Integrative pediatricians are a great place to start.

You may even notice these symptoms in yourself, so be sure to check out my new page as listed above on symptoms of Candida overgrowth.

What’s in the News?

Mother Convicted of Murder

Kristen LaBrie has been sentenced to 8 to 10 years in prison in Lawrence Superior Court on April 15, after choosing to disregard a prescribed chemotherapy regimen. On Tuesday, two years after her son, Jeremy, died at age 9, a Superior Court jury declared her guilty of attempted murder. She She faced a maximum 20 years for attempted murder as well as 10 years for assault and battery on a disabled person and five years on assault and battery on a child causing substantial injury and 2 1/2 years on reckless endangerment of a child.

Although the news doesn’t always give the full story, the only indication of her defense is that she couldn’t bear to watch him suffer from the toxic effects of chemotherapy. It also mentioned she was depressed as if that would force her to ‘murder’ her son. I am personally appalled by her conviction. I know that some have been helped by chemotherapy, but I don’t believe in it.
I think there are alternative treatments that are much more effective. Did she perhaps explore these options, but we don’t necessarily know about it? What if she doesn’t believe in these treatments due to religious purposes? Is that not acceptable anymore either? Such a sad story.